Boat.



c. H. FOWLER.

} BOAT. APPLICATION FILED 1UNE30| 1914.

1,163,076. Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL H. FOWLER, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOAT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, CARL .H. FowLER, a citizenof the UnitedStates, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in Boats, of which the following is a specification;

My invention relates to improvements in boats, especially those which are designed to'secure high speed and which as heretofore generally constructed could only be operate'd in comparatively deep water.

i f In many racing boats as commonly con structed the propeller is projected at'the end of a long shaft, several feet obliquely beneath-and to the stern of the boat, so as to operate several feet beneath the surface of the water and thus procure comparae tively solid water in whichto operate. It

has been found necessary ordesirable in such boatstoplace the propeller a cons1d-- erableudistance beneath the surface of the water'in order to secure a sufiiciently compact resisting mediuinin which to operate the propeller at high speed and with high power without slip and without racing the propeller in the light surface waters. Another disadvantage of these high power boats and of the position in which the ,pro-

peller is operated is that the water is forced or sucked out from'under the stern by the propeller so that the boat squats at the stern. Thiscompels a boat to practically constantly run up a hill of water, reducing its speed thereb The objects of the invention are, to im-- prove the constructionjof racing boats so as to give them solid compact water in which to operate their propellers, even when operated in comparatively shallowwaters where the present type of deeply submerged propeller is impossible.

A further object of the invention is to so construct boats asto prevent the squatting of the stern of the boat when propelled at high speed or with high power.

By my invention the propeller is situated partly within a chamber formed in the bottom of the boat and partly beneath the bottom of the boat itself. By making the propeller chamber or tunnel of a height less than the diameter of the propeller, prefer- I ably being approximately one-half thereof,

the size of the tunnel in both height and length is greatly reduced and the consequent amount of dead weight of water car'- Specification of Letters Patent. I I 1 Patented Deb, 7, 1915, Application filed June 30, 1914. Serial No. 848,128.

ried by said boat is accordingly reduced. Furthermore by this construction the propellerchamber is of niuchjless height than the type of tunnel boat were used wheren the propeller is entirely contained with- 5 1n the lines of the hull. This type: of coni v the placing of the pro thereby ob ward. Furthermore, owing to this form of I construction the water'displaced by the propeller and thrust backward from it is that is either absolutely thrown directly under the stern of the boat and not sucked out from beneath the stern as is the case where the propeller is located to the rear of the stern itself. ,This difference in position of the propeller prevents the stern'from squatting and in fact has a slight tendency to raise the stern instead of depressing it. At the same time, since the propeller is located partly within the body of the boat, it is possible for the boat to travel'through' much shallower water than is possible in thecase of the usual,

hydroplane or racing boat construction. At the same time a solid body of water of the same character can always be maintained in the propeller chamber in which the proneaththe surface. a

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood attention is thereby di- J rooted to the accompanying drawings form- 'ing part of the specification and illustrating the tion.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a preferred embodiment of my inven- -vertical longitudinal section through the center of a boat. Fig. 2 represents a crosssection taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 represents a cross-section at the stern of the boat on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the boat .1 may ,be of a' substantially flat bottom construction and provided with a propeller chamber 2 formed in the rear portion of the botpeller is operating'that the propeller would have if placed the same number offeet be tom of the boat. This propeller chamber or tunnelis formed with a forward wall or roof portion 3 which rises from the bottom' ofthe boat at a. gradual angle'to 'a sufiicient helght to inclose' the propeller fl mounted upon propeller shaft 5 extending through I her and connected witl'i anyv suitableengine the forward wall 3' of the 197555611671? sham 6 within the boat. Ti lie rear wall 4 of the chamber 2 slopes rearwardly and downwardly from the highest-point of chamber 2- to'the point 7, a short-distance forward of the orifice or opening of the propeller chamber or tunnel at the stern of the boat.

In the preferred eonstructionythe roof of thejftunnel is approximately horizontal from the point 7 to the points in the stern of I the b'oat,- andf'the wall of theftunnel slopes at a very slight angle'to the horizontalfrom the'highest point of thefohamber to the point 7, theshapeand direction of the rear part of the propeller chamber or tunnel being determined laig'elyby the position of I :the minimum water line of the boat, the rear orifice of the propellerchamber beingwlocate'd below the minimum water" line W of the boat. and preferably above the keel line. "K of'the boat as shown. The propeller V iohamberisof a height less-than the diam- *eter of the "propeller hand n-e'ferably iS.

about-one-half thereof so that the'propelle'r extends for?approximately I one-half of its diameter-below the keel line of the boat whereby, asstated; the amount ofdead water carried within the propellerchamberis very muoh'fless than ifthe propeller werejentirely inclosed within the body of the boat.

This is indicated by the drawing" in which the dotteddine r0 indicates the outline of r a propeller chamber which would have to be"forlnedfifwthe"propeller were to be entirely located within the body of the boat the materiallyreduced space Within the pro- -.peller chamb'er by my present construction being thus shown. flihe propeller shaft 5' is preferably inclined at the same slight angle to thehorizontalas the'rear wall 4 of thepropeller chamber so as to result in a minimum of friction between the water displaced by the propeller andthe rear wall 4 of'thechambe'rfi a ""Astandpipe i is-attached to the top of propell'er chamber Q f-at the highest point -thereof; prefera-bly directlypver the propeller. Stand pipe 7 communicates with the nterionof chamber 2 and is preferably formed'at its upper end with an enlarged portion 'OI'lZ VZICULUTL chamber- 8, with which communicates 'a'p'ipe 9 whereby the airmay be J.pa-rtially exhausted from the Vacuum chamber by a. suitable Vacuum pump.

- The vacuum" chamber may be provided with a: suitable, float 10' and connections for regulating the operation :of the vacuum r a pump (not shown) in accordance with the heightof the column of awaterin 'the stand pipe and Vacuum chamber. vThis feature is not claimed hereinybutis described and "clalmed, 1n myv ,copending application entitled improredshallow water boat, Serial N 0 8&8512651fi1ed June v.30, 1914:. It is sufiicient to stateyhowever, that the operation ofthe vacuum pump serves to keep the propeller chamber" and stand plpe constantly filled with water in a column of any deslred height so that the propeller at operating at 1 a the min mum water lereldV'or even partly above this water level may be operated 1n water of substantially the same solid resisting character as the propeller would have if it were submersed the same number of feet below the water level'a's the height of water in-the stand 'pipe"? abo e'the'propeller. I r V Q The position of the rear orifice'8 of the tunnel relatiye to the minimum waterlevel W of the boat in my preferred construction isshown in Fig; 3; Asfstated, the rear'wall of thepropeller chamber extends at a substantially horizontal line between the points 7 and 8 for: the purpose of preventing the boat from squatting'when in operation at high speed, since the water displaced by the propeller and thrust backward from 1t 1 1n the operation of theboa-tcauses upward I i water 'pressure to be exerted against the under side of the'rear portion of the propelticularlyeifective against the horizontal portion 7'8 adjacentthe stern orifice-ofthe propeller chamber. The horizontal portion 78 of thereof ofgthe propeller chamber ler chamber, this upward pressure being parshould be so chosen a s'fto be sufiiciently long to 'largely overcome the tendencyof the boat to squat andof not'suflicient lengthto ma- L terially increase: the friction of the'water passing from the propeller. 3

'venti on, what I'claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows: V i i g 1. In a speed boat, thecombination 'of a hullhav'ing a' propeller chamberformed in thebottom thereofand open'at the bottom, "said chamber having a forward wall slopin upwardly to the rear and/a rearitop Will he sloping downwardly to the rea r'at' I a slight inclination to a point forward of; the stern "of the boat, the rear topwall ofsaid chamber extending from said point through the I-iaving now partlcularly described myin stern offlthe boat in anapproximately horiforward wall of the chamber at substantially the same inclination as that of the said rear top wall ofthe chamber forward of the sub-i I 'stantially horizontal portion thereof, and a propeller thereon so situated that it'r'evolv es pa-rtly'within said chamber and partly external tothe lines'o'f the hull, the maximum height of said chamber being less than the set forth.

2. In a speed boat, the combination of a hull having a propeller chamber formed in the bottom thereof and open at the bottom, said chamber having a forward wall sloping upwardly to the rear and a rear top wall sloping downwardly to the rear at a slight inclination to a point forward of the stern of the boat, the rear top wall of said chamber extending from said point through the stern of the boat in an approximately horizontal plane situated between the minimum Water line of the boat and the keel line, said I. horizontal portion being of such a length and so situated with respect to the propeller that water displaced by the propeller thrust exerts a lifting action upon the said portion, to largely overcome squatting of the boat in operation, a shaft extending through the forward wall of the chamber, and a pro peller thereon so situated that it revolves partly within said chamber and partly eX- ternal to the lines of the hull, the maximum height of said chamber being less than the diameter of said propeller, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 27th day of June, 1914.

CARL H. FOWLER.

lVitnesses H. R. BROWN, CHARLES lV. TIFFIN.

Copies of this patent may .be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

